Meeting Information

MINUTES
SHELTER MONITORING COMMITTEE
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
10:00 AM
City Hall, Room 421
San Francisco, CA 94102
Members present:
Chair Quintin Mecke
Vice Chair Henry Belton
Secretary Aram Hauslaib  
 Committee Member Anthony Beliso
 Committee Member Diana Greer
 Committee Member Elihu Hernandez
Committee Member Rita Lark
Committee Member Maxine Pauson
Committee Member Ramses Teon-Nichols
Committee Member Cindy Ward

 Members absent:
 Committee Member Aubrey Moore
Committee Member David Nakanishi
Committee Member Amanda Thompson

 The meeting was called to order at 10:04 AM
 
I. MINUTES      
Action: Approved July 1, 2009 Minutes
m/s/c (Belton/Hauslaib/Unanimous)

No Public Comment

II.  REPORTS      
A.     Standard of Care (SOC)  
Chair Mecke reviewed the Standard of Care Report and led a discussion among the committee about how to decrease response times. Representatives of the Committee will discuss this issue at the next Shelter Directors' Meeting on August 17, 2009.
 
Chair Mecke reviewed the updated Site Inspection form and how to complete it on site visits.

Action: Approve SOC Report and SOC Inspection Form
m/s/c (Belton/Hernandez/Unanimous)

Public Comment
Briana Moore noted that AED's cannot be checked for function without setting off alarms at some sites, that smoking is permitted at Next Door, that there are typos in multiple places in the SOC Inspection Form, and asked about differences in what is required for shelters and resource centers.

Kim Clarke thought the new form was very good, but commented on numerous standards not currently being complied with at sites (16, 18, 19, 22, 23).

Robert Livingston asked that the Committee utilize the form, and not just check off all the items during inspections. He also noted that certain situations discussed are really emergencies not simply SOC complaints, and they should be handled as such through the appropriate emergency services.

B. Department of Public Health   
Chair Mecke reported for Committee Member Nakanishi that there are ongoing negotiations with contracts and addbacks within DPH, and that he is working on preparing a response to the Committee's Information Request.

C. Human Services Agency    
Committee Member Ward gave progress reports on the seven addbacks in process for HSA, and warned that the state budget will have serious impacts on city departments.

D. Shelter Status Report    
Committee Member Ward went over July's vacancy reports, noting an overall occupancy of 91%. The Connecting Point waitlist is at 165 families, with an all-time high of 34 priority families, and that there have been no placements in the last two weeks. The list should shift in September when the 10th & Mission housing opens.

Ms. Moore noted the move of the Drop In Center from 150 Otis to MSC South that occurred July 31-August 1. MSC now has a 24-hour drop-in for men and women, and 150 Otis still has a CHANGES reservation station. She also announced a decrease in vacancies at several sites since the implementation of the new reservation policy.

Ms. Moore and Committee Member Ward reviewed the Shelter Grievance Policy and the updates that have been made with the new reservation policy.

Lindsay Parkinson provided an update from the Shelter Advocates and the discrepancies in the number of hearings that are occurring and the number the advocates have been notified about. Ms. Parkinson stated they will begin tracking the type of DOS as well.

III. PUBLIC COMMENT     
Ms. Clark said she is glad for the clarification of immediate and non-immediate DOS, and asked about the policy/procedure when DOS are upheld at hearings.
Ali Schlageter presented an application for the LHCB seat on the Committee that will be vacant after Chair Mecke's resignation. The application is due September 3, 2009, and the applicant must be present at the September LHCB meeting and must be nominated by a nonprofit organization.

Shucrita Jones noted that at Providence most clients receive immediate DOS, and often leave destroying the paperwork, making it difficult to arrange hearings. She reiterated the importance of Committee Members working with shelter staff during inspections.

Ms. Moore proposed adding information about DOS into CHANGES in the "Notes" section, agreed with the Committee's effort to promote friendly interactions with shelter staff, and noted that meetings are much more enjoyable recently.

Mr. Livingston said everyone should take a deep breath after all of the struggles with the budget process. He noted that ensuring the quality of care in shelters is hard work, but that clients need the Committee to keep pushing for the minimum standards.

Charles Pitts asked if the Committee intended to present and respond to the Coalition on Homelessness's recent report published, "The Runaround".

IV. NEW BUSINESS     
A. Quarterly Report   
Chair Mecke announced that the Quarterly Report was not finished, so the Committee will be unable to approve it and present it at the Rules Committee meeting on August 5 and tabled this item until next month.

V. INFORMATION REQUESTS     
A. Staff Report      
Ms. Casey was not in attendance, but she provided a handout with updates and announcements.

B.   Information Requests    
Chair Mecke reviewed HSA response on the new reservation policy and implementation.

B.   Announcements
Vic Chair Belton announced that Project Homeless Connect has moved from September in the Bayview to October 28 at Bill Graham Auditorium, and that PHC night at the Giants is August 11.

IV. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 12:05 PM.

To obtain copies of the agenda, minutes, or any explanatory documents, please contact Bernice Casey at 415.255.3653 or Bernice.casey@sfdph.org 72 hours before the meeting.

To obtain a disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services to participate in the meeting, please contact Bernice Casey at 415.255.3642 or Bernice.casey@sfdph.org at least two business days before the meeting.

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